I’ve probably mentioned this several
times, but I consider Dream Date P.J. the most perfect version of
Steffie 1971 headmold. For that reason, I didn’t fully appreciate Sweet
Roses P.J. 1983 the way I should although I have always thought she was a
sweet, pretty doll. Dream Date still remains out of my reach, but Sweet
Roses has recently been appearing just about everywhere. I’ve seen her
available at auctions at an astonishingly low price and other collectors
have been praising her beauty on their blogs. The more I saw of her,
the more convinced I became that my own collection won’t do without her.
As I unwrapped her I gasped, probably
screamed a little bit, but who would blame me, such a reaction is
perfectly natural and easily understandable as the doll is simply
magnificent. She arrived in an excellent condition and I expected
nothing less from her previous owner who also sold me at least three
other dolls. P.J. was clean and well taken care of, but her beautiful
locks, never brushed once in those 35 years that have passed since her
production, were a little frizzy and I began to worry she’d soon begin
to resemble something between Bob Marley and a puddle. However, thanks
to one of my readers, I discovered a tutorial on how to restore the
doll’s curls to their factory shape.
So I settled down to work. First, I
dipped the hair still held by the rubber band in very warm water (I’d
dare not use boiling water). Once the hair cooled down I brushed every
curl separately with a comb dipping it in water. I didn’t however pull
them as it was explained in the tutorial for fear of disturbing the
upper parts of her hair, so perhaps the result is not as spectacular as
anticipated, however wet brushing did help to set the curls. But it’s
not only the curls that make the doll so unique, it’s the color of her
hair as well. The warm shade of brown mingles nicely with honey colored
blonde strands. The result is breathtaking!
P.J.’s hairstyle is very beautiful, but
even if the doll were nude and her locks tangled or brushed out, her
facepaint makes her instantly recognizable and her identity obvious. No
other Steffie faced doll that I know of looks similar to her. For her
sweet and innocent look she’s absolutely unique and Mattel achieved that
by giving her those lovely lavender eyes, a smoky violet eyeshadow and
multitude of lashes. Her eyebrows are drawn softly and her pouty lips
are the loveliest shade of raspberry. The subtle blush on her cheeks
finishes the look. The doll’s captivating!
P.J. came with her stock gown that is
incredibly well made. The amazing quality satin (polyester) is shaped to
resemble rose petals in two shades of pink. Each petal is lined with
tulle not to make the dress too heavy. The dress is strapless but it’s
cut in such a way to make them unnecessary. The gown stays in its place
secured with two metal snaps. The original stock also included several
fabric rosettes, however they were lost so I gave her some replacement
and I think she looks cute with them. The previous owner also added her
open-toe heels that weren’t sturdy enough to stand the test of time, but
I’m really grateful for them. To my surprise, I also discovered a brush
and a comb in the package that I hadn’t expected to be there. These
belong to P.J. and were a part of her stock.
I’d seen so many pictures of P.J. but I
still can’t get over how sweet a doll she is. Oh if Mattel had a
brilliant idea to recreate that look in a playline form I’d buy several
of these dolls to give them to all of the little girls in my family,
including my daughter. I’m sure the doll would win their little hearts
easily as she did mine!
No comments:
Post a Comment